Comb-brush



April 15, 19,41*.

G. D. RUNNELS CGMB -BRUSH Filed March 18, 1940 E Sheets-Sheet 1 ATTORNEYS April 15, 1941- G. D. RUNNELs 1 2,238,603

COME-BRUSH Filed March 18, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 lll V/ 54 vuuguwuumuuum VENTOR a7 Gattung D' :Qunhel ATTORN EYS Patented Apr. 15, 17941 2,238,603 Min-BRUSH Garland D. Runnels, Seattle, Wash. Application March 1s, 1940, serial No. 324,494

2 Claims.

y My present invention relates to the general art of hair brushes and combs, and more particularly to a convenient combination of a comb and brush which may best be designated as a comb-brush.

My invention provides a structure similar inl form to the ordinary hair brush with the handle formed in any convenient manner. Thel body of the brush, instead of having the usual bristles as is common, is provided with a plurality of longitudinally disposed slots which are in turny provided with a dovetail portion so that brush or comb inserts, in any desired combination, may be inserted in the slots. lMeans are provided to secure the inserts in place in a rm, yet easily removable, manner. `The body of my brush 1 prefer to form of molded plastics, although it will be apparent that many other materialsmay be used, particularly Wood.

The inserts which are adapted to slide into the openings provided in the holder proper are s preferably made of moldable material, as any of the newer plastics, but may be formed of any of the materials common to the brush or comb industry. One form of the comb insert has fashioned, asgpart of it, a plurality of comb teeth. These might be of any desirable shape or spacing, although for the combing of ladies hair, it has been found most desirable to have the teeth spaced somewhat farther apart than is the case in the usual comb.

The brush inserts lhave a body or back portion which, as before, may be made of any suitable material, and these inserts have imbedded in them, preferably, a single rowof tufted bristles, the exact arrangement of which will follow the same dictates as employed in the design `of brushes.

Whenlused for brushing ladies hair, particularly, I have found-it most desirable to provide alternate rows of comb `teeth and bristles, after the showing of Figures and 13. In such an arrangement I prefer to have a brush insert on each margin of the brush holder, as this has been found to be the most useful arrangement, although the number of rows of teeth and bristles employed may be varied to meet individual requirements.

The principal object of my present invention is to provide, as a single toilet article, a holder capable ot receiving a plurality `of comb and brush inserts so that in a single operation the hair is combed free of entanglements and brushed to give the ne separation of the hair and to bring out the natural lustre and arrangement of the hair.

A further object of my present invention is to provide a unit which may, by variation of the inserted comb and brush members, provide a toilet article capable of being individually adapted to a given hair condition.

A further object of my invention is to provide a comb and brush combination which will provide teeth that produce a comb-like action with a brush leading and following the teeth so as to properly lay into the desired position the stray hairs that are so unmanageable when only a comb is used.

Afurther object of my present invention is the origination of a comb and brush arrangement in which the inserts are provided with longitudinally extending grooves which terminate in -a dovetailed portion adapted to coact with a short portion of a complementary dovetailed member in the grooves of the holder proper, to the end that the inserts may be securely held in place but are fitted tightly only through a short portion of their length.

Other and more specific objects will be apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a combbrush formed after the teachings of my inven-n tion.

Figure 2 is a perspective View taken in the same sense as Figure l but showing the comb and brush inserts removed therefrom.

Figure 3 is a top plan View of the comb-brush combination shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of Figure 3,

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 3.

Figure 6 is a side elevation of a comb insert, the same being enlarged above its normal size for clarity of the illustration.

Figure '7 is an end elevation of the comb insert as viewed from the left hand end of Figure 6.

Figure 8 isa cross-sectional View taken along the line 8--8 of Figure 6.

Figure 9 is a perspective View showing the bottom surface of a brush insert before the bristlesL are mounted therein.

Figure 10 is a side elevation of a brush insert drawn to the same scale as the comb insert in Figure 6.

Figure 1l. is an end elevation of Figure 10, taken as viewing the insert from the left hand end of that figure.

Figure 12is a cross-sectional View taken along the line l2|2 of Figure 10.

Figure 13 is an enlarged, cross-sectional View drawn to the same scale as Figures 6 and 8, and taken along the line l3-I3 of Figure 3.

Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line M-l 4 0f Figure 4.

Referring to the drawings, throughout which like reference characters indicate like parts, I6 designates the main body of my comb and brush holder. This may be formed of any materials suitable for brush or comb manufacture such A brush-head 1 is shown in the drawings as attached to the handle I8 and is provided with a plurality of spaced guide ngers 22, 23, 2425, 26, and 21. These guide fingers are spaced apart from each other and have between them a plurality of slots or openings. The two outer fingers 22 and 21 on their inner faces, and the remaining fingers 23, 24, 2li and 26 on both faces are provided throughout their lengths with the male element of a dovetail joint.

Adapted for positioning within the slots or openings between the guide fingers are the comb inserts shown in Figures 6, '1, and 8, and the brush inserts illustrated in Figures 9, 10, 11, and 12. These members may be molded from a plastic or they may be formed from any suitable material known to the comb and brush industry. To facilitate insertion and removal, each member is preferably provided with a square-sided groove, or channel, extending along a portion of each side. Adjacent one end, which may be the outer or left-hand end as indicated in Figures 6, '1, 9, 10, and 11, the square-sided groove converges to form a short portion of a female dovetail 32 complementary to the male member on the fingers 22 through 21, inclusive. It; will be observed that the use of the male and female members indicated in the drawings may be reversed without departing from the principles of my invention.

The comb insert is best illustrated in Figures 6, 7, and 8. Therein will be seen that the back portion 34 is of a thickness and width that will fit in a flush manner any of the slots formed between the guide fingers. Each comb insert has a plurality of comb teeth 36, and these may take any form which has been found in the comb industry to be desirable for use and practical for manufacture.

In the drawings, Figures 7 and 8, I show a tapered tooth having a rounded point 31 and a relatively wide base 38 which has been found to be very satisfactory. In the drawings it will be seen that Figure '7 is an end view of the comb insert as taken from the left end of Figure 6, and shows dovetail grooves which extend a short distance back from the end on each side of the comb insert. A sectional view of Figure 8 illustrates the form of the body of the remainder of the comb insert.

The brush insert has a backing member substantially the same in all respects as the comb insert. It has the same square-walled groove 36 and the female dovetail at 32. However, instead of being provided with the teeth as shown in the comb insert, a plurality of tuft-receiving holes 4l] are provided into which are inserted, in the manner usually employed in the brush industry, a tuft of bristles 42 of a character suitable for the purpose intended. For general utility it has been found that if these holes are disposed in straight lines, substantially as illustrated, a very satisfactory arrangement results.

For certain purposes it might be desirable to employ these in a staggered relationship, and it is believed well within the scope of this disclosure to so modify the structure if occasion requires. For most uses it has been found best to employ bristles in the brush inserts that; are between two-thirds and three-quarters of the length of the combteeth so that the bristle tufts 42 will bear on the hair as it is being stroked in a manner to cause the outstanding hair to take its position with the body of the hair and still permit the ends of the teeth to be used without yinterference of the tufts when difficult snarls or tangles are being combed out.

For normal use, it has been found that three brush inserts use-d alternately with two comb inserts provides a very practical arrangement. It will be understood, it is believed, that this number might be varied under certain condi- It is desired, however, to call attention tothe showings of Figures 5 and 13. Figure 5, which is a sectional view taken along the line 5--5 of Figure 3, shows the structure as cut f through the dovetailed portion 32 of the combV and brush inserts, and showing the snug engagement between the inserts and body I6 of the brush holder. Figure 13, on the other'hand, is a View taken along theline I3-I3 of Figure 3, and it will be noted that the square sided slots 3i] are now in engagement,` with the dovetailed portions of the guide members 22 through 21, only at their corners, the dovetailed members being so proportioned as to ll the bottom of groove 30 in the insert, and thus assure their proper positions within the brush holder.

The foregoing description and the accompanying drawings are believed to clearly disclose a preferred embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that this disclosure is merely illustrative and that such changes in the invention may be made as are fairly within the scope and spirit of the following claims.

I claim:

l. A device for the manual treatment of hair comprising a body portion provided with a plurality of alined spaced-apart guide ngerseach having longitudinal dovetail ribs, an insert member' disposed between eachpair of guide fingers, each insert member being provided With a square sided groove alo'nga portion of each side, said vgrooves each converging into a dovetail groove for the remaining portion of each side and cooperable with the dovetail ribs on the adjoining guide fingers, said dovetail groove having its maximum width equal to the width of the squaresided grooves and hair-treating means on each insert member.

2. A device for the ,manual treatment of hair comprising a body portion provided with a plurality of alined spaced-apart guide fingers each having longitudinal dovetail ribs, an insert member disposed between each pair of guide fingers, each insert member being provided with a square sided groove along a portion of each side, said grooves each converging into a dovetail groove for the remaining portion of each side and cooperable with the dovetail ribs on the adjoining guide fingers, and rows of comb teeth and substantially equal length bristle tufts on alternate insert members.

GARLAND D. RUNNELS. 

